


The Last Stand

by AtlasNL



Series: The Last Stand [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: 100 Year War (Avatar TV), Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-22 22:54:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23301694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtlasNL/pseuds/AtlasNL
Summary: Thanks for checking this out, this chapter is quite short, but they might get longer along the way. Enjoy!
Series: The Last Stand [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1678789
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. The Beginning of the End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for checking this out, this chapter is quite short, but they might get longer along the way. Enjoy!

* * *

After days of fighting they were free. It had been costly, the retreat from the landing, but they had found their way inland, and into the mountains. Chief Tanrock sat down on a rock in their camp. It was cold up here, but not as cold as their homeland. The Firebenders had finally given up the hunt, and they could rest a bit.

One of his men went around handing out warm tea, and he took a cup. “Thanks.” He mumbled as he drank from the cup. The tea was hot, but not as hot as the fire those ashmakers sent after them. He took out a map of the area. It wasn’t a good map, but it had the rough terrain and some villages painted on it. Enough to guide them before they would get another one. They had fled to the northwest, high up into the mountains, where the Fire Nation couldn’t follow them well. There they had marched for days with almost no rest, trying to get as far away as possible from that Commander and his troops.

He sighed while looking around their camp. _We’ve lost too many in that retreat..._ They didn’t even achieve their goal to take the beachhead so that reinforcements could arrive to take the fortress on the coast. That bay was an important supply and commandpost for the Fire Navy, and if they would take it over it would mean the end for that offensive, and it would mean Ba Sing Se was free to send ships again. He stood up and yawned. He was tired, and so were his men. He saw that his lieutenant had already assigned watchers. _Thanks Rinak,_ He thought as he walked to his tent. _We’d all be dead if it weren’t for you._

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading! This is my first real attempt at writing a story, and I would appreciate any feedback given!
> 
> It will probably take me a while to add another chapter due to IRL things, but thanks to the coronavirus I have a lot more time on my hands. Have a great day!


	2. Split in Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm back and actually managed to write something longer now! Have fun!

* * *

The next morning Tanrock crawled from his tent and he looked around the camp while he stretched out to wake himself up a little. When he was done he decided to check on the tent where all his wounded were located. _I need to know how many we lost and how many we’re losing._ He thought to himself. He lifted the flap and stepped inside. He walked down the narrow isle in the tent, past men laying wounded on the ground or if they were lucky on a bedroll. He saw a few of the bandages leaking with blood from cuts or stabs, but many more suffered from burns. The smell was horrid, it stank of burnt flesh and hair, and also a sweeter smell. _This is even worse than it seemed..._ Tanrock thought to himself as he walked up to the head healer of his company. “Arrlock, do you have a minute?” he asked as he approached the man, who was checking on one of his patients, a lower rank officer who had a nasty cut on his shoulder that was possibly infected. “Yes, hold on a bit.” The healer said as he finished bandaging the officer in order to keep the cooling herbs in place. “Do you have need of me, chief?” Arrlock asked when he was finished. Tanrock nodded and looked around at the unfortunate soldiers in the tent. “How many of the men here will make it?” He asked. Arrlock sighed. “I fear not all of them will, sir. There are a few burns severely infected, and even my best healers can’t help them. We’ve tried everything we know.” Tanrock sighed deeply. _They are just laying here, in a foreign land far from home, dying. And there’s nothing we can do._ “Thank you, Arrlock. Make their passing as light as possible.” “We’re already trying that, sir.” Arrlock said as he gestured at some of the men in the back. Their faces were somewhat grey and white, and clearly in pain, some where even crying and whispering about home and their families. He nodded and left the tent. Once in fresh air he took a deep breath. _That smell was absolutely horrid...We’re losing too many..._ He thought as he went to speak with his lieutenant, Rinak.

“Morning, Rinak.” He greeted his second in command as he stepped inside the open tent that made sure the maps, plans and other important scrolls couldn’t get wet. Rinak looked up and made a nod to acknowledge him. “Morning, sir,” He replied, putting down the map on the table in front of him. “Is there something you need?” Tanrock nodded. “Yes, I need to know how many we’ve lost.” He said, and Rinak grimaced. _It’s that bad isn’t it?_ “Chief, we’ve lost 58 men, killed or missing, and 17 that are wounded or dying. We have only 75 men left that are still able to fight, but most of them lack food and are exhausted.” _Exactly half of what we started with in these mountains..._ “We need food.” Tanrock stated, as he grabbed one of the maps of the area they were in. “There are some villages, but they’re too far away and possibly _infested_ with those ashmakers.” He said while pointing at the nearest dot on the map. “The other option is to send out hunting parties and hope they can find game in these mountains.” He looked up to his lieutenant. “What do you say, Rinak?” He asked, his voice sounded tired, even to him. Rinak grimaced and looked at the map again. “I say we must definitely do the second, send out hunters. Maybe later, when we have regained some of our strength we can go to that village and take whatever they have. I doubt it’s much.” That last part he didn’t say, but his eyes told Tanrock enough. This land, even though it was so close to the capital, was in ruins. Firebenders laid waste to every village that defied them, and took whatever they wanted, paying them with blade and flame. “Gather some of our fittest men, and organise those hunts. If you have anyone that has the healing gift, send them to Arrlock, he needs every hand he can get.” Tanrock ordered, and Rinak nodded again and made a quick salute to his chief. 

When he stepped out of the open tent he saw that it had begun snowing while he talked with his lieutenant. He pulled up the hood of his cloak, which was too thin for this weather, and hurried to the mess-tent to catch breakfast. When he stepped inside he saw that Rinak’s reports were true. He got his food and sat down. It was unusually quiet, and most were just eating their small bits of food. He turned to the men next to him. “Do you need anything, men?” He asked them. “No, chief. Except revenge on those _ashmakers_ and a full stomach there’s nothing else I want.” One of them replied, his voice in a hateful tone. “We will get our revenge, men, they will pay for what they did to your brothers-in-arms.” He replied, after he had taken a bite from his seal jerky. “We will take that fortress, and kill them slowly. No mercy, for they have shown us none.” After that he finished his meal in silence. It wasn’t much but it gave him enough energy to last the day. _Let’s hope those hunters come back with something._ He thought as he watched them leave a hour later. _Or we’ll all starve._

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! When I saw I had one kudo I was dumbfounded. Seriously, I never expected this to be seen by anyone!


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